graef



March 17, 1964 w, C, GRAEF 3,124,813

BOAT

Filed June l2, 1961 JNVENTOR. W\\ BUR C. GRAEF BY dma/QM H15 FL-H55- United States Patent iice 3,124,813 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 3,124,813 BOAT Wilbur C. Graef, 1921 Maplewood Road, Northbrook, Ill. Filed June 12,1961, Ser. No. 116,354 3 Claims. (Cl. 9 6) This invention relates to a boat and to a method of making a boat.

An object of the invention -is to provide a new and improved small boat and a new and improved and relatively simple and inexpensive method for making a boat in such a manner that it may be readily assembled by inexperienced and unskilled persons with a minimum of time and labor and at a minimum of expense.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved boat and a method for making such a boat, and by means of which a boat may be constructed in sectional parts or components which may be packed 'and shipped with the necessary materials and supplies and with suitable instructions for assembly of the component parts by inexperienced persons.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which by way of illustration shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be m-ade as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boat embodying the present invention and made in accordance with the new method;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical-sectional view on line 2-2 in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the boat as illustrated in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view of one of the joints embodied in the area indicated by FIG 4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view illustrating a modification of the joint construction embodied in the invention.

A typical embodiment of a boat, such, for example, as a row boat, skiif, or the like, made in accordance with the present invention and the new method is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawing, where it is generally indicated at Il), and -is shown as being in the form of a small portable row boat, although the new boat may take other larger forms. In the form shown in FIGS. l to 4, inclusive, theboat v` includes component parts in the form of `side walls 11, .a bottom wall 12 and a rear or stern wall 13, cut and shaped in a suitable design and pattern, as shown, although the design and pattern and size of the component parts of the boat and the shape and form thereof may be varied as desired.

In the practice of the present invention the structural component parts or elements of the boat, including the side walls 11, bottom wall 12 and rear or stern wall 13, are preferably made of relatively light plywood material 14 suitably cut and shaped to form the desired structural component parts and having mating mitered joint 22 4). The adjacent intersecting marginal joint edge portions of the component parts, including the intersecting marginal edge portions of the side wall panels 11, bottom wall 12 and the rear or stern wall 13, are provided with matching or aligned holes 15 which may be dbrilled in the marginal joint edge portions thereof at suitable spaced intervals, by means of an electric hand drill or the like, and similarly spaced matching holes 16 are provided in the adjacent intersecting marginal joint edge portions of the bottom wall 12. The structural component parts, and other necessary materials, which fwll be described presently, may be shipped in the `form of a knock-down kit and when it is desired to assemble the structural component parts, suitable strong flexible lacing means in the form of nylon or like thread or cord 17 is threaded through the matching holes 15 and 16 in the side wall panels 11 and in the stern or rear end wall panel 1.3 and in the bottom wall panel 12 so as to lace or join the component structural parts together into the form of the body of an assembled boat, as shown in FIG. 1.

After the basic structural component parts or elements, in the form of the side walls, rear end or stern wall 13 and bottom wall 12 have thus been assembled and laced together a layer of suitable flexible glass fabric material 18, such as Fiberglas cloth, may be laid over the inner surface of the assembled component parts of body of the boat, and this `glass fabric material or cloth 18 may then be saturated with suitable synthetic flexible plastic resinous material, such, for example, as a polyester resin known as Kraft Kote (Montgomery Ward and Company) indicated at 19, or an epoxy resin, so as to adhesively secure the glass fabric layer or cloth 18 to the inner surface of the body of the boat formed by the plywood panels 14, at the same time, the resinous material 19 will penetrate through the body of the glass fabric or cloth 18 and into the holes 15--16 and into and around the joints between the side walls 111, stern wall 13 and bottom wall 12, and in and around the nylon or like lacing thread or cord 17 so as to strengthen the joints and make them water tight While, at the same time, strengthening the boat structurally.

The outer surface of the body of the boat may then also be covered with a suitable layer of glass fabric or cloth 20 and saturated with a suitable plastic resinous material, which will likewise flow through the glass fabric 20 and into and around the holes 1'5-16 and the joints between the si-de walls 11 'and stern wall 13 and bottom wall 12, and into and around the nylon or like threads or cord 17, so as further to adhesively bind the structural component parts of the boat together and render it waterproof while, at the same time, making it light and strong and resistant to shocks, and stresses and strains incidental to the use of the new boat.

A modification of the joint embodied in the invention is illustrated in FIG. 5 wherein those parts which are similar to or correspond to similar parts in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. l to 4, inclusive, have been given similar reference numerals followed by the .additional and distinguishing reference character a.

I-n the form of joint construction shown in FIG. 5 the glass fabric material 18a 'and 20a is in the form of strips which are laid over only the intersecting joints or marginal joint edge portions of the structural componen-t parts 11a and 12a, and around the lacing threads or cords 17a, rather than over the entire inner and outer surfaces of the body of the boat, and the glass fabric strips 18a and 20u 'are then saturated with the resinous adhesive material, indicated .as 19a and 21a, so as to adhesively secure the flexible glass fabric material 18a-20a to the `structural component parts 14a ,and bind the entire unit into a strong, water-tight joint.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present invention provides a new and improved boat and a novel method of making the same, having the desirable advantages and characteristics, and accomplishing its intended objects, including those here inbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A boat body including a bottom wall, opposing side walls `and a stern wall, each of said side walls and stern wall having -a lower edge portion abutting an edge portion of said bottom wall so as to form a joint thererwith, said side and stern walls each extending upwardly from said bottom wall so that the inner surfaces thereof each form a corner with the upper surface of said bottom wall, each of said edge portions having a row of holes formed therethrough, elongated flexible non-metallic 1aeing means threaded through adjacent rows of holes so as `to secure said side and stern walls to said bottom wall, portions of said lacing means extending diagonally across said corners in spaced relationship to said inner and upper surfaces, a flexible liner of glass fabric cloth extending over each side of each pair of said abutting edge portions so as to cover both sides of the joint therebetween, one of said flexible liners at each joint extending over said portions of said lacing means and spaced from said corners so as to dene a chamber of triangular cross section, synthetic flexible plastic resinous adhesive irnpregnating said ilexible liners so as to secure them to CII .4 said walls, said `adhesive filling the spaces in said holes not occupied `by said lacing means and filling each chamber defined between each corner at each of said one Ilexible liners so as to encase said diagonal portions of said lacing means and secure said Iwalls strongly together.

2. A boat body `as defined in claim 1, wherein the `iexible liners extending over said portions of the lacing cover the entire inner surface of the boat body.

3. A boat body as defined in claim 2, wherein the resinous `adhesive comprises epoxy resin.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,989 Henry Feb. 15, 1898 1,134,773 Svendsen Apr. 6, 1915 1,433,280 Hubard Oct. 24, 1922 2,183,017 Grant Dec. 12, 1939 2,569,224 Brown Sept. 25, 1951 2,580,465 Ronne Ian. 1, 1952 2,699,560 Stein Jan. 18, 1955 3,007,208 Urban Nov. 7, 1961 3,024,478 Plum Mar. 13, 1962 

1. A BOAT BODY INCLUDING A BOTTOM WALL, OPPOSING SIDE WALLS AND A STERN WALL, EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND STERN WALL HAVING A LOWER EDGE PORTION ABUTTING AN EDGE PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM WALL SO AS TO FORM A JOINT THEREWITH, SAID SIDE AND STERN WALLS EACH EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM WALL SO THAT THE INNER SURFACES THEREOF EACH FORM A CORNER WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, EACH OF SAID EDGE PORTIONS HAVING A ROW OF HOLES FORMED THERETHROUGH, ELONGATED FLEXIBLE NON-METALLIC LACING MEANS THREADED THROUGH ADJACENT ROWS OF HOLES SO AS TO SECURE SAID SIDE AND STERN WALLS TO SAID BOTTOM WALL, PORTIONS OF SAID LACING MEANS EXTENDING DIAGONALLY ACROSS SAID CORNERS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID INNER AND UPPER SURFACES, A FLEXIBLE LINER OF GLASS FABRIC CLOTH EXTENDING OVER EACH SIDE OF EACH PAIR OF SAID ABUTTING EDGE PORTIONS SO AS TO COVER BOTH SIDES OF THE JOINT THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF SAID FLEXIBLE LINERS AT EACH JOINT EXTENDING OVER SAID CORNERS SO AS TO DEFINE A CHAMBER OF TRIANGULAR CROSS SECTION, SYNTHETIC FLEXIBLE PLASTIC RESINOUS ADHESIVE IMPREGNATING SAID FLEXIBLE LINERS SO AS TO SECURE THEM TO SAID WALLS, SAID ADHESIVE FILLING THE SPACES IN SAID HOLES NOT OCCUPIED BY SAID LACING MEANS AND FILLING EACH CHAMBER DEFINED BETWEEN EACH CORNER AT EACH OF SAID ONE FLEXIBLE LINERS SO AS TO ENCASE SAID DIAGONAL PORTIONS OF SAID LACING MEANS AND SECURE SAID WALLS STRONGLY TOGETHER. 